FULL TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Stoke City
And that’s that! Manchester City pressed and pressed in the second half, but Stoke held firm, and thoroughly deserve their point! The home side were below par all evening, passed up the few chances they did create, and look to have blown any slim chance they had of catching runaway leaders Chelsea. They remain third in the table, behind Spurs on goal difference, and ten points behind the leaders with their game in hand used up. Stoke meanwhile, after their horror show at Spurs, have proved something to themselves tonight. They consolidate their ninth place. It wasn’t much of a match, so thanks for sticking with us. Nighty night!
Updated
90 min +4: Another chance set up by De Bruyne on the right! It’s another staggeringly good cross. Sane should surely sidefoot home from six yards, as it dips towards his boot, but he’s confused by the lurking Shawcross and doesn’t connect!
90 min +3: Aguero bustles in front of the Stoke area, but can’t work any space.
90 min +2: Having nearly lost it late, Stoke are now holding firm. Manchester City are running out of time.
90 min +1: Manchester City nearly score in the first extra minute! De Bruyne, out on the right, whips a stunning ball to the near post. Iheanacho and Aguero get in each other’s way, the former sticking a leg out and guiding the ball wide right from six yards. What a chance!
Updated
90 min: Sobhi embarks on a jinking run down the left. After eating up a fair few seconds, he’s dispossessed. He grabs the ball and is booked for his trouble, then shoved over by a frustrated Fernandinho. There will be four added minutes.
89 min: City push Stoke back. Stoke can’t clear their lines. Sane very nearly breaks free down the left, but he’s forced to turn back. City have tried everything, but to no avail. So far.
88 min: Now it’s Stoke’s turn to hold onto the ball in the midfield. Afellay simply refuses to be knocked off it. Time moves on, and the clock is no longer Manchester City’s friend.
87 min: Aguero carves an opportunity out of nothing. His back to goal, to the left of the Stoke D, he turns on a sixpence and diddles his way into the area, through three lame challenges. He faces a tight angle, Grant in the way, and lashes a shot into the side netting. Shawcross celebrates the miss like a goal.
86 min: City again with the sterile possession.
85 min: Before the resulting free kick can be taken, Allen takes an age to depart, Imbula taking his place. De Bruyne lumps fairly aimlessly into the Stoke mixer; Stoke deal with it accordingly.
84 min: Walters is booked for a laughably cynical slide on De Bruyne from behind, as the Manchester City man looked to make tracks in the Stoke half.
83 min: Stoke break upfield. Sobhi glidefs down the left, and flicks a ball inside for Allen, who would have been free in the Manchester City area had he controlled properly.
82 min: Manchester City with all the possession right now. But it’s all very sterile.
80 min: But that doesn’t mean Stoke have given up all attacking ambition. Cameron and Afellay combine down the left, the former curling one deep for Walters, who gets his head to the ball ten yards from goal. Walters can only head harmlessly over the bar, but it’s a metaphorical shot across Manchester City’s bows: as they press forward for a precious winner, they can’t take anything for granted.
79 min: Mark Hughes looks to shore it up. Berahino is sacrificed for Whelan.
77 min: Silva is given too much time down the inside-right channel. He takes a touch to tee himself up, and launches a shot towards the bottom left. Grant does well to tip round the post. From the resulting corner, Otamendi beats Martins Indi to the jump, but can only send a header, meant for the top right from six yards, high and wide. Manchester City are beginning to ask some serious questions of Stoke now. But Stoke are hanging on.
Updated
75 min: Toure is replaced by Iheanacho.
74 min: Silva Maradonas his way down the inside-right channel, his aggressive dribble earning a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but Silva has been magnificent since coming on.
72 min: Silva so nearly makes the breakthrough! Out on the left, he dribbles inside, and exchanges a crisp one-two with Fernandinho. Suddenly a little space opens up down the inside-left channel! Silva breaks into the area, and tries to thread a shot across Grant and into the bottom right. It rolls inches wide of the post. That would have been a gorgeous goal. Silva is causing Stoke a lot of problems.
70 min: De Bruyne is sent free down the right by the already influential Silva. He whips low and hard into the box. Aguero, six yards out, tries to connect and poke home, but under intense scrutiny from Shawcross, can only squirt the ball wide left. Manchester City are getting a little closer, but they’ve still had just the one attempt on target.
Updated
69 min: Silva, down the right, pulls back for Toure, to the right of the Stoke D. That’s over the posts, rugby style. A general sense of frustration in the stadium now.
68 min: A break as Diouf goes down to receive more treatment. Drinks are taken. Eventually Diouf departs, to be replaced by Afellay.
66 min: Clichy storms down the left wing and skelps a dangerous low ball into the Stoke box. Somehow it makes its way through a packed area without hitting anyone. Is this simply not Manchester City’s night?
65 min: The City of Manchester Stadium is pretty quiet right now. Recognition that Manchester City’s title bid, already a long shot, might be petering out tonight. The next 25 minutes are so crucial.
63 min: Room for De Bruyne down the right. He’s got time to find Silva on the edge of the Stoke D. Silva thinks about a shot, but is closed down quickly, so tries to open up Stoke with a difficult dink down the left channel. The intended recipient Sane, eight yards out, is easily bustled away from the ball. Silva was uncharacteristically ponderous there, passing up a good chance to shoot.
Updated
62 min: All a bit scrappy again. Stoke will be perfectly happy with this.
60 min: Silva slips a clever little ball down the right to release De Bruyne into space by the side of the Stoke box. De Bruyne fires into the area low and hard. The ball clips off Allen, sitting up for Sane, who balloons wildly over from the penalty spot. Had that not come off Allen, Sane was sidefooting that calmly off the turf. Manchester City very unlucky. Stoke deserve their break, having said that; their defensive display has been very impressive so far.
57 min: De Bruyne drops a shoulder down the right, reaches the byline, and looks for Aguero at the near post. Aguero can’t get the flick goalwards, and it’s a corner. Which comes to nothing. Silva comes on for Navas.
55 min: Sane knocks the ball past Martins Indi and romps down the left. He slides a pass inside for Aguero, who looks to curl into the top right from 20 yards. It’s a fine shot, but Pieters has anticipated the danger and blocks with a fine header. The resulting corner comes to nothing. For a second there, it looked as though Manchester City had unlocked Stoke at last.
54 min: De Bruyne, out on the left, slips a ball inside for Sane, who attempts to go past Cameron and throws himself to the ground. The referee books him for his sauce.
53 min: Cameron thinks about taking a dig from 25 yards. He thinks twice. Bad decision, because his pass out wide right to Diouf catches his dozy team-mate offside. Diouf was in acres there. Not sure where Clichy was.
51 min: Some good old-fashioned 1980s stuff from Stoke. Grant launches long, Walters flicks on, and Berahino nearly breaks clear down the inside-right channel. Just as he shapes to shoot, Otamendi slides in to block. Corner, from which nothing happens. But Manchester City are extremely shaky in defence. With the home fans beginning to sound their disapproval, Stoke might fancy their chances of doing something here.
Updated
50 min: Stoke ping the ball around the front of the Manchester City area. Walters and Berahino very nearly combine to break into the box, but their intricate one-two doesn’t come off. The home side looked nervous there, though. As ever, uncertainty reigns at the back.
48 min: City keep it basic with a long ball down the middle, and it nearly pays off, De Bruyne only just failing to bring it down with his boot and burst into the area.
46 min: David Silva is immediately out on the touchline warming up, to ripples of equally high-temperature applause from the home fans. No rush, Starting XI!
Right, here we go again! Manchester City get the ball rolling for the second half. They really need a strong showing here if they’re to keep on Chelsea’s tail. No changes yet.
Updated
Half-time chat, with Ian Burch. “Saw Stan Bowles at his peak at Upton Park playing for the Rs in a League Cup match. He’d been in the Sunday papers a few days before, having being caught playing away from home as it were. He was given grief by the home fans from the off, but he scored as the Rs ran out 2-1 winners and left the pitch waving two fingers to the crowd though I doubt he was indicating the score. A few years later I found myself sitting behind his latest girlfriend at Brisbane Road. She was constantly on her feet anxiously calling out his name as Micky Droy tested his studs out on Stan’s shins. He was some player.”
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Stoke City
There’s time for Otamendi to cream a long ball down the inside-right channel, and for De Bruyne to narrowly miss a connection on the edge of the box. And that’s your lot for a dreadful first half. Stoke will be more than happy with their performance, given they recently conceded four times in the first 45 at Spurs. Manchester City, not so much. They need to seriously improve if they’re to keep any sort of pressure on runaway leaders Chelsea.
Updated
44 min: Incidentally, as Fernandinho was failing to get a shot away then, the already booked Bardsley slid in, studs showing, slightly recklessly. It wasn’t a full-blooded tackle, but the sort of clumsy challenge that was asking for trouble had he connected fully with Fernandinho.
43 min: Corner for Manchester City down the right. It’s hit long for Fernandinho, to the left of the Stoke D. Fernandinho can’t get the ball out from under his feet, and so there’s no shot. The crowd again with the displeasure.
Updated
42 min: Fernandinho tries to burst into the Stoke box, going straight down the middle through a forest of players. Basic and brazen. Nope! The home crowd are audibly irritated and impatient. Manchester City haven’t been good at all.
Updated
40 min: Navas turns on the burners and flies down the right. He fizzes a cross towards Aguero upon reaching the byline, but it doesn’t quite reach. Manchester City recycle the ball, and Navas has another go. This cross is chested down by Shawcross, allowing Grant to scoop the ball.
38 min: Toure gets involved in the midfield again, but this time he pointlessly hacks down Allen. The free kick is hoicked into the Manchester City area, and drops to Diouf, level with the right-hand post, just inside the box. He leans back and slashes a miserable volley miles wide and left of goal. It would have been a screamer had it gone in, a difficult skill, but even so, his effort should have been a wee bit better than that.
Updated
36 min: This was nearly so much better. Toure bests Bardsley in a brilliant tussle in the middle of the park. Finally busting free, through the centre circle, he slips a ball forward for De Bruyne, who shuttles it down the inside-left channel for Sane. The young winger is clear on goal, but he’s gone too early, a needless offside. But that move was easy on the eye.
35 min: This is not excellent entertainment. The visit of Monaco seems an awfully long time ago.
33 min: Clichy has time to the left of the Stoke D, and sends the ball out of play to the right of goal. Dreadful, though it nearly leads to something from the resulting goal kick, as Martins Indi tries to play out from the back. His not-so-clever pass across the face of his own box nearly releases Aguero on goal. A thankful Grant gets to the ball just in time.
32 min: Cameron tries to dink a pass around Toure, who sticks out an arm to cynically stop the move. It’s a free kick, and really should be a yellow card, but the big man gets away with it. On the touchline, Mark Hughes oscillates between disbelief and apoplexy.
30 min: Diouf is back. He’s running around quite a lot, so that’s got to be a good sign, right?
29 min: Otamendi launches long down the middle for Sane, who can’t get anywhere near the ball under pressure from Shawcross. Grant gathers. City have created next to nothing. Stoke, who shipped four in the first half at Spurs recently, will be very happy with this so far.
27 min: Sane nutmegs Diouf down the left. Diouf, on the floor, springs up and snaffles it back. Fine, dogged play, though Diouf looks to have injured himself making the effort. A break as he’s given the once-over by the doctors.
25 min: ... and then leaves it to Kolarov, who batters a low shot towards the bottom left. Grant is behind it all the way.
24 min: This is a foul, though. Bardsley is booked for illegally clipping the heels of an in-flight Aguero. Free kick to Manchester City, 25 yards out and level with the left-hand edge of the Stoke box. De Bruyne shapes to take it ...
Updated
23 min: Fernandinho, sitting deep, slides a lovely ball down the inside-left channel to release Sane into space. Ah hold on, Diouf is right on his shoulder. The pair clash as Sane enters the box. Sane goes over as he shapes to shoot, and there is a little contact from behind. But Sane doesn’t claim the penalty kick. It would have been very, very soft ... but you’ve seen them given.
21 min: Navas, in the middle of a thicket of players out on the right, backheels out of trouble and very nearly releases Sagna into the Stoke area. Nice, nearly successful, but not quite.
19 min: Space for Aguero to the left of the Stoke box. He aims a spectacular curler into the top right. It’s deflected out for a corner, which is wasted. A few groans from the home faithful, who haven’t been entertained with a fast start.
18 min: Cameron is upended by De Bruyne out on the right. A chance for Stoke to load the box. The ball’s hoicked into the mixer, and Martins Indi is clear with the ball at his feet on the penalty spot! Eh? Where on earth is the Manchester City defence? Anyway, they get away with this one, too, as Martins Indi swishes lamely at the ball, the chance gone.
16 min: Manchester City faff around in the middle of the park awhile. For too long, in fact, because Berahino robs the ball and makes off with it, slipping a pass wide to Sobhi on the left. Sobhi twists and turns, leaving Otamendi for dust as he breaks into the Manchester City box near the byline. His cross into the danger zone is no good this time, but he looks the business.
Updated
13 min: Aguero hares after a lost cause down the right wing. He gets to the ball before it goes out for a goal kick, hooking it back for Toure on the right-hand corner of the box. Toure tries to return the ball to Aguero with a chip down the channel, but he scuffs it and the move breaks down. Manchester City haven’t really troubled Stoke so far.
11 min: Sane is sent scampering after a long ball down the left. Bardsley has his number, shepherding the ball back to Grant. The Diouf chance apart, this has been very quiet so far.
9 min: Manchester City play the corner short, and De Bruyne whips an astonishing curler through the six-yard box and out of play to the right of goal. That was such a good ball, threaded through from the tightest of spots, it’s a wonder none of his team-mates managed to meet it. What a talent De Bruyne is.
8 min: De Bruyne, in the middle of the park, sprays a delightful ball wide right for Navas, who turns on the jets before curling high and deep into the Stoke box. Allen, rushing back, heads out to the left of goal before a Manchester City shirt can meet the cross. Corner, though.
6 min: All a bit scrappy in the middle of the park. Sobhi wins a header 30 yards from goal. The ball flies wide left for Pieters, who whips one along the corridor of uncertainty. On the edge of the six-yard box, Clichy slips, allowing Diouf to connect with his boot six yards out. But Diouf doesn’t connect properly, and although he guides the ball towards the bottom left, Caballero parries it away from danger with ease. Still, there’s Manchester City once again looking a bit scrappy at the back.
Updated
3 min: It’s all down Manchester City’s right flank early doors. Navas once again tries to release De Bruyne into space, but his dinked pass hits Pieters in the chest. It’s not been the fastest of starts, tell the truth, but there’s plenty of time for fun and games.
2 min: Jesus Navas latches onto a loose ball and probes down the right wing. He finds De Bruyne further down the flank, who earns Manchester City’s first corner of the evening. Nothing comes of the set piece.
And we’re off! The visitors get the ball rolling. They lump it long. Allen takes up possession in Manchester City’s final third, but he can’t find Sobhi out on the left with his first progressive pass of the evening. Manchester City mop up.
Updated
The teams are out! Manchester City are in their famous sky blue shirts, allowing Stoke to gallivant around the Etihad in their first-choice red-and-white stripes. Fatboy Slim has done his thing, right there and right then, so we’ll be ready to go in a minute!
Updated
Mark Hughes speaks! “We have to be positive. We’ve had a problem with teams at the top end of the League, so we might not be quite as open as we normally are. But we will still look for opportunities. If we can release Berahino in good areas, I think he will have an impact. We’ve got good ability on the pitch.”
Pep Guardiola speaks! “We have been much better recently. But that is done. Every game is proof that we can be better. All of Stoke’s players are so, so quick. They are going to make plenty of runs in behind. Perhaps they will put Crouch on for the long ball towards the end of the game.”
Pre-match reading. Stan Bowles is a QPR legend, of course. But he started out at Manchester City. He’s now suffering from Alzheimer’s. Ed Vulliamy spent an emotional afternoon with him, noting that while the memories may have faded, the great man’s twinkle never will.
Manchester City make three changes to the starting XI sent out at Sunderland on Sunday. John Stones, David Silva and the rested Raheem Sterling make way for Nicolas Otamendi, Jesus Navas and Kevin De Bruyne.
Stoke City change four players from the line-up named against Middlesbrough on Saturday. Injured two-goal hero Marko Arnautovic, Glen Johnson, Glenn Whelan and Peter Crouch are out; Phil Bardsley, Saido Berahino, Jonathan Walters and Mame Biram Diouf are in. Berahino is making his first start for Stoke.
Updated
Tonight's teams
Manchester City: Caballero, Sagna, Otamendi, Kolarov, Clichy, Toure, Jesus Navas, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Sane, Aguero.
Subs: Bravo, Zabaleta, Nolito, Delph, Silva, Stones, Iheanacho.
Stoke City: Grant, Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters, Cameron, Allen, Berahino, Sobhi, Walters, Diouf.
Subs: Muniesa, Whelan, Afellay, Adam, Imbula, Given, Crouch.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).
Good evening!
Chelsea are 11 points clear of third-placed Manchester City. In all probability, the Premier League title is going back to Stamford Bridge. But the cogs in Pep Guardiola’s head won’t have stopped whirring quite yet.
He knows his team are already knocking back chasers in the last-chance saloon. “Every game if you win, you stay; if you lose, you are out.” But they’re not scrabbling around, half-cut in the spit and sawdust, quite yet. For starters, they’ve got a game in hand over Chelsea, and so tonight they’ve got the opportunity to reduce that gap to eight points. City also have yet to visit Chelsea, so the chance to whittle it down to five is in their hands. Chelsea also have to travel to tough-to-beat Manchester United, and Everton, where they’ve lost their last two fixtures ...
... but it’s a long-shot all right, especially as this scenario requires City to end the season like they started it. “We started the season with 10 games winning, but our game was not like today.” It also requires Chelsea to stumble, and Antonio Conte’s side seem too street savvy - and too goddamn good - to do that. But the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United have shipped similarly big leads in living Premier League memory, so nobody’s immune.
Yes, it’s one hell of a long shot. But while it’s mathematically possible, there’s still hope. You can bet your bottom dollar Manchester City - and Spurs, come to think of it - won’t have totally given up the chase quite yet. It’s football. You never know. But if you lose, you are out, so for starters City have to beat their namesakes from Stoke tonight. They’re hot favourites, having won seven of their last eight matches, and put four past the Potters in three of their last four meetings. But Stoke are comfy in mid-table and will approach this fixture as a free hit. Can Manchester City keep up their desperate title chase? Or will they be knocked out tonight? It promises to be a fascinating evening. It’s on!
Kick off: 8pm GMT.
Updated
